Import Revolution - Chicago, IL, October 26, 2002

The Crutchfield writing team is a group of full-time, in-house copywriters who share a passion for consumer electronics. In addition to creating the articles and videos you find in the Research area of the Crutchfield website, these hard-working and talented people write the informational copy for the products on our website and in the Crutchfield catalog. Our writers constantly research the latest products, technologies, and industry trends, so that we can bring you the most helpful information possible.

Heads up!

Welcome to this article from the Crutchfield archives. Have fun reading it, but be aware that the information may be outdated and links may be broken.

What's the story?Import Revolution blew into the Windy City on October 26. The import extravaganza featured more than 400 car contestants, a fashion model expo, a national DJ search competition (the Revolution Turntablist Championship), sports bikes, radio controlled car races, a breakdance arena, and dance crew showcase.

Thousands of folks braved the cold and turned out to see the tricked out cars, motorcycles, trucks, and of course, the entertainment. Halloween was just around the corner, and several show cars sported Halloween-inspired effects in addition to the usual run of glow lights, steam, strobes, and neon. We glimpsed more than one witch hat and pumpkin head floating through the crowd, adding a unique flavor to the evening.

Who was in the booth?
MTX brought out their 1997 USAC IASCA World Champion Ford Mustang to keep us company at the Crutchfield booth. With three 10" Thunder8000 subs and three Thunder6500D mono-block amps in the rear, this car deals out some atomic bass, and draws lots of attention from the fans.

Show highlights
We were so swamped with people checking out products and signing up for free catalogs, that it took us a while to make our way around the huge McCormick Center convention hall. Once we started, though, it was hard to stop, as there was so much going on and so much ground to cover.

In addition to the over 400 competititon cars and numerous car club displays, vendors set up some major displays throughout the building. BF Goodrich, the chief sponsor of Import Revolution, Valvoline, APC, Ichibahn, Audiobahn, and Infinity all had impressive set ups and were giving away lots of freebies. APC had their semi-trailer there with tons of product out, showcasing everthing from replacement tails, clear corners, and lenses, to exterior lighting accents. Audiobahn drew a lively crowd of fans anxious to score a pair of free shoes. Everyone was carrying bags stuffed with free products and vendor literature.

In one section, Import Revolution had set up the remote-controlled car race course. Contestants maneuvered their cars around hair pin turns and over ramps, bumping and rubbing fenders like the real thing.

The Model Expo was another popular section of the floor. Fans lined up for autographs and a chance to have their pictures taken with well-known car show models, including Nikki Cash, Sharon Sotto, Tila Nguyen, Rownena Galam, and Cathy Shim.

The cars and bikes were truly dazzling. All variety of show and performance vehicles were present, with contestants from all over the continent. We admired lots of great lighting, undercarriage effects, polished chrome, and custom body work. To see a list of the winners from the weekend, click here.

Import Revolution is the sister car show series to Hot Import Nights. If either of these shows come to your neck of the woods, we highly recommend you go and check it out  we certainly plan on putting them into our rotation. To see a full list of the hottest shows, click our Event Calendar link. You'll be able to find out where and when the shows will be, as well as which we'll be attending.